Driving mechanism



Aug. 25, 1936. NQM. LOWER DRIVING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 21, 1934 ATToRNEY Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT 2,051,870 Y Y Y OFFICE f DRIVING MECHANISM i Nathan M. Lower,

Tuckahoe, N.

Y., assignol'v toV The Standard Stoker Company, Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Application December 21, 1934, Serial No. 758,581

' 5 claims. (cl. 'i4- 389) V- may continue to operate.

The principal obJect of my invention is to Arstill further object of this invention resides in the provision of the other conveyor screw. These androther objects, such as the in vertical medial' section Ywhile other portions arein side elevation; n L Y Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary viewV of my invention taken on'the linef2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isa sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; i Y.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary View of "a portion of Fig. 1. A Y

Referring now to Figures` 1 to 5, inclusive,

the deck I 6, a` fuel bin II above the deck and a compartment I8 therebelow injwhich compartthe rear or trough conduit I9 dicated by S.

The Stoker mechanism includes the rear orA trough conduit I9 which may be rigidly mounted beneath the fuel bin-I`I tov receive fuel therefrom through the aperture 20` in the deckV I6. Rigidly mounted on the locomotiveis an inclined elevator conduit 2| which communicates with the rebox II through the Vfiring kopening I3 as the specification proceeds.

The driving mechanism for the conveyorscrews is disposed at the rear of the trough conduit |9 within a casing 32 and includes a reduction gear train 33 for operating the conveyor screw 28 and a reduction gear train 34 for operating the intermediate conveyor screw 29 and its connected elevator screw 30. the gear train 33 is a pinion 35 meshing a gear 36 which is keyed or otherwise fixed to a shaft or hollow hub 31. This hollow hub 31 is journalled in a bearing 38 and has a flange 39 through which bolts 40 are passed for securing the conveyor screw 28 thereto. The gear train 34, likewise, comprises a pinion gear 4| which meshes with a gear 42, the latter being keyed or otherwise fixed to a shaft 43 which passes through the hollow hub 31 and is journalled therein.

In substantial axial alignment with the shaft 43 and extending through the hollow hub 44 of the conveyor screw 28 is another shaft 45 which is coupled to the shaft 43 by a sleeve 46 and has the opposite end projecting beyond the forward end of the conveyor screw 28. To this latter end ofthe shaft 45 is fastened a jaw member 41, forming one element of a universal joint 48 which connects the rearward end of the intermediate conveyor screw 29 to the shaft 45 within the ball and socket joint 21. Y

It will be observed from Fig. 2 that the pinion gear 4| Vof the gear train 34 is fixed to the drive shaft 49by a key 50 while the pinion gear 35 of the gear train 33 is freely mounted on the drive shaft 49. This drive shaft receives power from a suitable prime mover (not shown) by means of shafting 5| (Fig. 1). At their adjacent side faces, the pinion gears 35 and 4| are each provided with projections 52 which are engageable during the normal operation of the conveying system whereby the pinion gears 35 and 4| operate their respective gear trains 33 and 34 in unison, thereby driving the entire conveying system.

During operation of the conveying system, extraneous matter in the fuel will often times lodge between the crusher 53, a portion of which is shown in Fig. 1, and the iiights of the conveyor screw 28, causing the entire conveying mechanism to become inoperative. In order that the operation of at least the elevator screw 39 may be continued during these emergencies, means have been provided to disconnect the conveyor screw 28 and its gear train 33 from their operative relation with the drive shaft 49. This means includes the described relation of the pinion gears 35, 4| and the added means for causing selective engagement or disengagement of these pinion gears. j

This last named means includes a forked yoke 54 which is xed to a rod 55 by a pin 53 and engages a groove 51 in the pinion gear 35. Coupled to the rod 55 is an extension rod 58, which may be manipulated by the stoker operator in a manner which will cause the yoke 54 to engage or disengage the pinion gears 35, 4|. The yoke 54 has therein a pair of notches 59, 59 (Fig. 5) which are engageable by a spring actuated detent 6| for retaining the pinion gear 35 in or out of engagement with the pinion gear 4|.

It will be apparent that when the stoker operator draws the extension rod 58 forwardly, the pinion gear 35 becomes disengaged from the pinion gear 4| whereby the gear train 33 and the connected conveyor screw 28 will no Vlonger be operatively connected to the drive shaft 49. The pinion gear 4| will thus be free to drive the gear train 34 for operating the intermediate conveyor screw 29 and its connected elevator screw 30.

The stoker operator may hinged cover 62 which is the elevator conduit 2| and manually deliver a charge of fuel thereinto, whereby the elevator screw 30 will continue delivery of fuel to the distributing means 22. Upon removing the extraneous material, the extension rod 58 is pushed rearwardly causing the yoke 54 to engage the pinion gear 35 with the pinion gear 4|, whereupon normal operation of the conveying system is resumed.

It will be observed from Fig. 2 that the pinion gear 35 functions as a clutch member for selectively connecting or disconnecting the gear train 33 vand the power shaft 49. Since the power shaft 49 rotates at a speed which 1s considerably greater than the speed of any other shaft of the drive mechanism, it is of considerable advantage to relate the clutch member or movable pinion gear 35 on the shaft which has a relatively high speed, because the torsional strains which tend to yshear the interengaging projections 52 of the pinion gears are considerably less on the high speed shaft than the torsional strains of the slower moving shafts. The engagement and disengagement of the projections 52 of the pinion gear is accomplished with greater ease because of the relatively low torque. By this construction, the clutch member or pinion gear 35 can be made smaller than otherwise possible and also its life is increased considerably. v

While the drive mechanism of my invention has been described in connection with a stoker conveying system, it is apparent that its use is not limited to such structures but is applicable for driving other devices, substantially as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a drive mechanism, the combination including a drive member, a pair of driven members, one of said driven members forming a support forthe other, a gear train arranged to operatively connect said drive member with one of said driven members, a gear train arranged to operatively connect said drive member with the other driven member, each gear train comprising a pinion gear upon said drive member and a gear meshing therewith and being operatively connected kto its respective driven member, one of said pinion gears being fixed to said drive member for rotation therewith, the other pinion gear being loosely mounted upon said drive member, each of said pinion gears being provided with interengageable projections on adjacent sides, and means for slidingl one of the pinion gears along said drive member to cause selective engagement or disengagement of the projections of said pinion gears. f

. 2. In a drive mechanism, the combination including a drive member, a pair of driven members, one of said driven members forming a support for the other, a gear train arranged to operatively connect said drive member with one of said driven members, a gear train arranged to operatively connect said drive member with the other driven member, each gear train comprising a pinion gear upon said drive member and a gear meshing therewith and being operatively connected to its respective driven member, one of said pinion gears being fixed to said drive member for rotation therewith, the other pinion gear being loosely mounted upon said drive member, each of said pinion gears being provided with interengageable projections on adjacent sides, and means for sliding the loosely mounted pinion gear along said drive member to cause selective then swing open the over the hopper 83 in engagement or disengagement of the projections of said pinion gears.

3. In a drive mechanism, the combination ineo-inprising a mounted upon said drive shaft, and a gear meshsecond named pinion gear along said to cause selective engagement or disengagement 4. In a drive mechanism, the combination including a drive member, a pair of driven memdrive member of the projections of said pinion gears.

5. In a drive mechanism, the combination ingear train comprising a pinion gear upon said drive member and a gear meshing therewith and being operatively connected driven member,

NATHAN M. LOWER. 

